


Gas Chamber's (Epic) Backstory

by bluetrees



Category: Persona 2
Genre: Gen, alternate universe-no personas and everyone is happy, background tatsujun because this is a persona2 fic after all, eikichi's pov because he deserves it, i have no idea how this would fit in with the canon, i just want them all to be happy and have fun playing together in gas chamber, is that too much to ask, more or less
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-13
Updated: 2020-10-13
Packaged: 2021-03-07 20:34:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,571
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26993731
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bluetrees/pseuds/bluetrees
Summary: A short collection of moments of how Eikichi formed his band and met some dear people. Because Gas Chamber deserves more fics.
Relationships: Hanakouji Miyabi/Mishina Eikichi, Kurosu Jun/Suou Tatsuya
Comments: 16
Kudos: 65





	Gas Chamber's (Epic) Backstory

**Author's Note:**

> Hi! So this is my first fic for persona 2 and I just wanted to write something happy, because the games left me way too depressed. This is basically an alternate universe where everything is normal and lovely and nothing bad happens, because you can never have enough of those. I also wanted to write from Eikichi's pov, since he seems a bit underrepresented. Plus he's just a great character. (Hopefully I did him justice.)  
> (Also I apologize for any typos or mistakes, I wrote this in a frenzy.)

“Come on, we'll be late!” Miyabi’s voice echoed from outside the school bathroom. Eikichi sighed and finished fixing his eyeliner with two quick strokes for each eye. Today was not his day, he concluded as he appraised his pale face in the mirror, sighed again and emerged from the tiny, dimly-lit Kasugayama toilet into a wider, yet equally dark hallway, lit up only by Miyabi’s smile.

“Handsome as ever,” she cooed teasingly and Eikichi smirked despite his foul mood. “We should hurry, though. The others must already be waiting for us.”

“Sure thing,” he replied, deflated. Miyabi looked at him questioningly. “Are you alright? You sound tired.”

“No, I’m fine.” He bit his lip. The one thing he loved and, at times, hated most was how easily Miyabi could read him, ever since middle school. “It’s just… I don’t know. We’ve been practicing for months now, but it feels like something’s missing, you know? Like, depth,” he said and stopped himself as he remembered something. “Actually, I’ve been meaning to ask you something, now that I think about it.”

“What is it?”

“The guys told me something about a guy named Suou. Tatsuo or something. Do you know him?”

Miyabi pouted (in that really cute, squirrel-like way of hers) and pondered for a moment before letting out a small ‘aha’ as her face lit up with recognition. “Ah, you mean Tatsuya! He goes to my class. He’s really quiet though. And absent, most of the time. Why do you ask?”

“Well, you know that we’re still looking for members. And since I’m the coolest guy in this school, makes sense I’d look for the coolest guy from the neighboring school, right?”

Miyabi giggled. “Well, he certainly has an aura of coolness. Plus, he’s pretty good-looking…He would make a good addition, probably.”

Eikichi quirked his eyebrow. “Good-looking, huh? Now I’ll have to reconsider.”

Miyabi laughed again. “Not as good-looking as you!”

“Now you’re just saying that,” Eikichi drawled in a fake-offended tone before chuckling. In a matter of mere minutes, Miyabi had managed to make him forget his bad mood completely. What a lucky guy he was.

And concerning Tatsuya, he did have to agree with Miyabi. The guy just exuded coolness and yes, he was quite handsome, as much as it hurt to admit it.

“It’s so weird how quiet it is when everyone’s gone,” Miyabi mused after a few minutes of walking. Eikichi nodded. Seeing the usually bustling hallways completely quiet and empty gave him the creeps. He’d heard about the rumor of a ghost climbing out of the basement and roaming these very hallways once the dark set in back in freshman year, and since then he’d made it a point to never remain here long enough to see if it was true.

Suddenly, Miyabi stood still as a plank next to him, a look of shock on her face. A shiver ran down his spine as he looked at her, puzzled.

“Do you hear that?” she paced quickly and turned the corner, vanishing into the shadows. He followed her, more out of fear than curiosity. By the time he got his wits about him, they were hunched over in front of the music classroom, leaning on the door to listen to someone playing the piano.

“Didn’t know we had a pianist,” Miyabi whispered.

“We don’t.”

“You don’t think it’s the transfer student?”

Carefully, Eikichi peeked into the room to see a black-haired guy he’d never seen before picking at the keys in a disconnected, almost absent-minded manner. There was something restrained and gentle in the way he approached the instrument, like he was meeting someone for the first time. Yet, Eikichi couldn’t stop spying, waiting with trepidation for the moment he actually played something.

Then, the boy stopped and he almost got a heart-attack as he ducked to run away. But, instead of steps, he heard a melody. He exchanged a smug glance with Miyabi and was glued back to the door.

He couldn’t stop himself from grinning. _Elton John, huh? Can’t go wrong with the classics, after all._

By the time they got to the practice, Shogo, Takeshi and Ken were half-asleep from waiting, but were pacified by Miyabi’s cookies and puzzled by Eikichi’s ear-to-ear grin.

“Guys, I think I found us a new member.”

…

In the two weeks since his initial discovery, Eikichi ran a covert investigation on the identity of this mysterious piano man, or rather, entrusted the help of his top agents, Shogo and Ken, who were actually in the same class as the guy. Kurosu Jun, a meek-mannered and pleasant boy who excelled at maths and physics, according to them. Eikichi himself had heard some conflicting rumors about Kurosu beating up some guys, and that the very reason he’d transferred in the first place was because he wrecked some dudes who bothered him. Eikichi didn’t exactly trust those rumors, yet they intrigued him all the same, since they contrasted so sharply with the Kurosu’s gentle image. He was also shockingly good-looking, the kind of beauty that’d make him stunning as either a man or woman, kinda like the great Acchan from Buck-Tick, if he let his hair grow out a bit more. It only made Eikichi want him in the band more: despite the great Michel being the obvious center of attention, such a pretty face was sure to attract more fans.

Although, such an initiation required careful preparation. While he doubted anyone was immune to the charms of the great-wonderful-and-attractive Michel, he couldn’t just pounce on the guy. Or rather, that’s what he thought at first.

After two more weeks of trying to catch the guy, he grew desperate. Disappearing seemed to be another of Jun’s talents, because he all but vanished as soon as the final bell hit. Seriously, did he not have any club activities? Or friends?

Eikichi figured the rumors he’d so easily dismissed did their work. Or maybe this Kurosu guy really was a violent loner like everyone said? He’d figure it out, one way or another.

From that moment, he decided to place his bets on the music room. Every day, he waited after classes were done, effectively forsaking precious practice hours. After four more days, though, it paid off, when Jun Kurosu finally sheepishly entered the room.

“Oh, sorry,” he said immediately when he noticed Eikichi. “I can leave if you were practicing.”

“What?” Eikichi gawked and remembered the trumpet he was holding. “Ah, right, no. I was just messing with this.”

“Alright,” Jun replied, giving him a dubious look, but not moving towards the piano.

“You’re the new transfer student, right? Haven’t seen you around before,” Eikichi tried breaking the ice once more, though it seemed to have an opposite effect.

“Yes. I’m Kurosu Jun. Nice to meet you.” Jun bowed slightly.

Eikichi put on his friendliest grin. “I’m Eikichi Mishina. But I’m more known as The Great Michel. And the pleasure’s all mine.”

Jun’s gasped slightly with surprise. “You’re Michel?”

Eikichi nodded with a chuckle. His smile faded into confusion when Jun firmly crossed his hand and stood his ground.

“I will not fight you,” he said with a determined voice and a firm stare.

Eikichi blinked, trying to make sense of the sudden shift in energy. “What?” Jun had caught him completely off-guard.

“I don’t know exactly what you’ve heard, but I’m not trying to cause any problems. I do not intend to, either. Ever.”

“Wait,” Eikichi stammered. “You think I’m here- You think that I was going to fight you?”

“You weren’t?” Jun seemed equally as surprised. “You are the Boss of Kasugayama, right?”

“Of course I am!” Eikichi said, with maybe a bit too much force and pride. “But the Great Michel doesn’t just fight for the heck of it. And yeah, I’ve heard the rumors, but that’s all they are, right? Can’t trust them till I’ve actually met you.”

“I see. Then I must apologize for assuming. I’m sorry.” Jun’s apology made Eikichi feel sorry for him, somehow. He was a good guy, yet those rumors caused him to keep to himself. Eikichi remembered his own childhood: it was only enough for others to hear about the fat kid to never want to have anything to do with him. Well, everyone other than Miyabi. It must be lonely for Jun now, as well.

Somehow, he had a feeling they would get along well. It felt eerily like nostalgia.

“No need to apologize, dude. I guess my reputation precedes me. Say, would you mind if I kept chilling here? You can just do your thing.”

Jun nodded and looked toward the piano. “If you don’t mind.” He sat down and remained quiet, thinking for a while about what to play. Gently, he moved his hands over the keys.

The melody that emerged was as beautiful in its simplicity as its moody darkness. It was obviously a classical piece, although Eikichi didn’t interrupt Jun to ask till he was done playing.

“What was that? Sounds creepy.”

“Satie,” Jun replied, rifling through the sheet music someone had left on the piano. “One of the Gymnopedies. Did you not like it?”

“Nah, it’s cool. It’s just got that dark ambience, right? But it’s also strangely relaxing.”

Jun smiled for the first time since he’d entered the room. “I get what you mean.”

“Say,” Eikichi started, going through a number of lines he’d prepared for this conversation. _Be discreet. Subtle._ “You’ve been playing long? What else do you play?”

“I haven’t been playing that long, really,” Jun replied and it seemed that the icy aura Eikichi had first felt had now thawed completely. “I started three years ago, on the synthesizer. I really wanted to try out the piano when I saw it here, though. And for what I play, well…it depends. I like Satie and some other classical composers, but I’d say I’m more partial to stuff like Elton John or Queen. My dad played that a lot when I was a kid, so I guess it stuck.”

“Awesome.” Eikichi smiled. It was evident that Jun was a music lover, much like himself. “My dad only listens to enka. Road trips were a nightmare when I was a kid.”

The noise Jun produced might have been a ghost of a laugh, but it made him giddy all the same. The ice had been broken, and turns out that Jun is actually a pretty nice person, overall. Eikichi figured he might as well stop beating around the bush.

“So, actually, there’s this thing I wanted to ask you,” he started and Jun’s gaze moved to him. “Since you like rock and play the piano. Well, I have a band. Gas Chamber, maybe you’ve heard of it.”

Jun nodded.

“Thing is, we’re kind of short on members at the moment. And we could really use a pianist, yeah? So I was thinking, maybe, if you’d want to come by someday and give it a shot. If you have time, that is.”

Jun remained quiet for a good while. His brows were furrowed as he considered Eikichi’s pitch and Eikichi was sure he would refuse. It was a bit out of nowhere, seeing as they’d only met. Damn it. Eikichi really didn’t want to screw this up, yet he let his excitement get the better of him. _That’s what you get for being so impati-_

“Sure.”

Eikichi wasn’t sure he’d heard him right. “Huh? I mean, uh, what?”

“I’d like to give it a shot. I don’t know if I’m on the level to be in a band, but might as well try.”

Oh. _Ohhhhh._ Eikichi was so going to call Miyabi later to boast about this. He managed to restrain himself from shouting triumphantly, but he couldn’t keep himself from grinning.

“Awesome! Well, how does Friday sound?”

…

Much to Eikichi’s joy, Jun managed to fit right in. Though he seemed to prefer slower, more emotional melodies, he was equally capable of keeping up with their faster tempo. And he looked like he was actually having fun, which was kind of the point in the end. He was fun to have around, too, although he seemed doubtful of his own skill and outright dismissive of Eikichi’s enthusiasm.

“I’m just saying, you could be the next Sakurai! I bet you’d have a ton of girls lining up if you put on eyeliner.”

Jun seemed rather nonplussed by Eikichi’s words, if not outright annoyed. “Sure. Who is this Sakurai, anyway?”

“Do you even live in Japan, dude?” Eikichi gasped dramatically, while Jun rolled his eyes with a cheeky smile. “I’m giving you my Buck-Tick CDs tomorrow, pronto. You’ve got to educate yourself.”

With time, Eikichi managed to learn more about Jun: he was an only child, and he moved to Sumaru to live with his dad after his parents got divorced. His mom was an actress, _the_ Junko Kurusu, which left Eikichi a bit flabbergasted at first. Although, the resemblance between Jun and his mother was undeniable. She travelled a lot due to the nature of her job, so in the end it was simpler for Jun to live with his dad. Jun reassured him that she visited as much as she could. Still, the melancholy in Jun’s voice led Eikichi to assume that while the divorce was amiable enough, the path to it might not have been. Still, Jun seemed over it, so he decided not to pry.

Once, he decided to ask him about his previous school. What surprised him the most was when Jun admitted that the rumors that spread when he first came to Kasugayama were at least partially true: he was attacked by bullies in his former school, and he beat them up.

“You’re gonna have to teach me some moves,” Eikichi commented, absolutely in awe. Jun simply laughed and brushed off the topic. While he was obviously not to be messed with, Jun didn’t like to use his fighting skills against others.

Yet, the biggest surprise came when he learned that Jun was, in fact, a native of Sumaru City.

“You lived here before?” he asked once the three of them- Jun, Miyabi and Eikichi were done with cleaning the practice room.

Jun nodded as he carefully placed his synthesizer into its bag. “I moved when I was nine.”

“That must have been rough,” Miyabi said with a gentle smile. “Did you have any friends here?”

Jun remained quiet as a shadow of nostalgia flew over his face, like he was remembering something he’d left buried deep in his heart.

“I…I did have a friend, yes.”

…

Let it be known that Eikichi Mishina, all in all a loser with a really good sense of style, had the greatest, nay, the most magnificent and wonderful girlfriend in the whole world. When Miyabi walked in with Tatsuya in tow while they were practicing that day, his nefarious (well, not really, but it does add a cool ring to it) plan was accomplished: the legendary guitarist for the greatest band on Earth was finally here.

And he looked profoundly uninterested. Eikichi put on his best Michel-smile and walked over to him, slightly annoyed by the fact that not even his magnificent presence was enough to wipe the disinterest off the other’s face. Then again, that was what made him so cool in the first place.

“You have a band?” Tatsuya asked, looking around the empty room. “Where’s everyone?”

“It’s just me today,” Eikichi confessed. “Others still have classes. The pianist’s sick with the flu.” Jun had been at home that week, under strict instructions from everyone to take care of himself and not show his face in school or practice till he got better. Eikichi appreciated the dedication, but he didn’t want his friend to push himself into a coma. “I guess Miyabi filled you in on the deal? So, Suou, what do you think? Wanna give Gas Chamber a shot?”

A clicking noise was heard as Tatsuya reached into his pocket and pulled out a small silver lighter. The action was almost automatic.

“Don’t you already have a bass player?”

“We do, but it’s not enough. We’re missing power. We need someone who can do a mean solo.”

And by solo, Eikichi meant both the guitar _and_ the sick motorcycle impressions he’d heard Tatsuya do when he was fixing his bike behind the school (Eikichi wasn’t spying, though. He was just waiting for Miyabi, partially concealed behind the cars parked in the back. What made him feel like a creep was seeing a blonde girl doing the same a few meters away from him.)

Tatsuya snorted. “Why me? I thought Kasugayama couldn’t stand Sevens.”

Sometimes, Eikichi could stop himself from going into a full-blown melodramatic monologue. Now was not one of those times.

“There’s a first for everything, right? Besides, imagine: with our appeal, we’d make it big in no time. Our combined charisma would shatter barriers! First Sumaru, then the world!”

That got Tatsuya to show some amusement at the prospect, even smile a little. There was something painful and nostalgic in it. Strangely, this did not feel like their first meeting.

…

“Hey, you okay?” Eikichi asked and lightly knocked on the door of the toilet Jun had holed himself into. “You can skip today’s practice if you’re feeling bad.”

He could hear Jun groan behind the door. After a few moments, the door opened and he emerged, flushed red.

“Do you have a fever again? You wanna go home?” Eikichi instinctively put his palm to Jun’s forehead, but it wasn’t all that warm. Jun swatted his hand, walked over to the sink and splashed his face. He took a few deep breaths before speaking.

“Remember that friend I mentioned, way back when?”

Eikichi thought for a moment, trying to recall. “Your friend before you moved, when you were nine?”

Jun nodded. “I never told you his name, did I?”

“Now that I think about it, no.” Eikichi wasn’t sure how any of this was relevant.

“His name is Tatsuya. Tatsuya Suou.”

Eikichi nodded, then paused, re-processing Jun’s words. “Wait.” He gasped. “No!”

Jun sighed deeply. “Yes.”

“But that’s awesome! Now you’re reunited after all these years. That’s pretty cool!”

Jun looked very, very uncomfortable. “No, you don’t get it. I can’t meet him. Not like this.”

“Why not?” Jun remained silent. “Jun, you can talk to me, okay? I won’t make you, but whatever’s troubling you, you can say it.”

Jun leaned on the sink and looked down at the dirty tiles on the floor. “I broke our promise. He must hate me.”

“A promise?”

“We promised…” Jun’s already red cheeks flushed even more and he covered his face with his hands. “We promised that we’d be together forever. And then I disappeared.”

Ah. That was a tricky situation indeed. Eikichi remembered making a similar promise with Miyabi, back when they were still in elementary school. He also remembered how they drifted apart during middle school, only to be reunited back in high school. Back then, he was afraid he could never face her again, but after the initial weirdness, he found that his worries were pretty much meaningless.

“But it wasn’t your fault, right? I mean, it can’t be helped that you had to move.”

Jun sighed. “Yeah, but wouldn’t it be weird? It’s been almost eight years.”

Eikichi mustered all his patience and smiled at Jun supportively. “The way I see it, you’re blaming yourself for something that wasn’t your fault. And you can keep sitting here and feeling sorry for yourself, or you can get out there and talk to the guy.”

Jun looked like he’d rather run away. Eikichi pat his shoulder.

“Don’t worry, I got your back.”

The look Jun gave him made him want to hug the guy. He looked like a wet kitten.

“Thanks, Eikichi,” Jun smiled weakly, walked over to the sink and splashed his face till the redness in his cheeks subsided. When he turned back to Eikichi, his face was pretty much back to normal, although Eikichi could still note the subtle nervous twitch of his eyebrow. 

“You fixed your makeup yet?”

Tatsuya was messing with the chords of his guitar, not even bothering to look up at Eikichi.

“Yeah. More importantly,” Eikichi gently pushed Jun forward. “Here’s Jun. He’s our keyboardist. Jun, Tatsuya. Tatsuya, Jun.”

This did get Tatsuya’s attention as he looked up and froze immediately when he saw Jun. For a few moments, they were just looking at each with a mix of shock and recognition, as Eikichi wondered just what kind of history this two had.

Finally, Tatsuya was the one to break the silence.

“Good to see you.”

…

While Tatsuya was about as expressive as a rock most of the time, his playing brought an erratic energy to Gas Chamber that perfectly complimented Jun’s more harmonious melodies. And with his own charismatic voice and lyrics, it was all Eikichi could hope for and then some. The way things were going, they could make their debut soon.

The debut being the Kasugayama cultural festival.

When he broke the idea to everyone, he was met with blank stares and a straight-up glare from Tatsuya.

“You do know I have a reputation to uphold, right?”

“Oh, come onnn,” Eikichi pleaded. “You do realize how cool that would be, right? We’d been practicing so much lately, it’d be a shame not to take the chance!”

“Maybe your ambitions are too small,” Jun chimed in. After two weeks, both him and Tatsuya seemed a lot more relaxed around each other, but he was still sitting a good distance away from the boy. “What’s stopping us from going for an actual gig?”

Well, that was a surprise suggestion, coming from Jun.

“My ambitions are none other than world domination,” Eikichi retorted, to which Jun snorted. “But everyone’s got to start somewhere, right? A legendary performer like me needs a good backstory.”

“Because culture festivals are some brutal backstory material,” Tatsuya said in a deadpan voice.

“Be snarky all you want, man. I’m just saying, it’s a great chance. And less than a month away.”

Tatsuya simply clicked his tongue and looked away. Eikichi turned to Jun, who shrugged his shoulders.

“I mean, it could be fun. And a good way to gain experience by playing in front of an actual audience.”

Maybe Tatsuya hoped to conceal the look of terror that crossed his face the moment Jun said the word ‘audience’, but nothing could escape Eikichi’s hawk eyes. He chuckled.

“Yeah, unless you’re too scared. Huh, Tatsuya?”

Tatsuya’s glare sent shivers down his spine, but instead of following it up with some choice words, he just mumbled a gruff ‘whatever’, and went back to tuning his guitar.

The matter was not brought up again during the practice. Still, Eikichi was a patient man. He’d get them on board with the festival, sooner or later.

When he exited the building later that evening, he could swear he saw a flash of blonde hair disappearing behind a parked car. This was the third time this had happened in the past five days.

Just his imagination, apparently.

…

The last thing he expected while he waited for Miyabi behind Sevens that afternoon was getting shanghaied by a random blonde girl. Although, once he got off the ground and managed to take a better look at her face, he realized he recognized her, even if he couldn’t tell from where exactly.

She looked pretty pissed off, unsurprisingly.

“What’d you do to Tatsuya?” she growled, or at least tried to. “Did you kidnap him?”

“What?” he blurted out, unsure whether he’d gotten a concussion. “Who are you?”

She clicked her tongue in frustration and cracked her knuckles.

“I didn’t kidnap him, for Pete’s sake! Are you nuts? We’re in a band together!”

“A band?” The girl stopped her fist and furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. “Aren’t you from Cuss High?”

Seriously, how dense was this girl?

“What, are Kasugayama students not allowed here?”

The girl furrowed her eyebrows in anger. “Well, since all you do is keep picking fights and causing problems, no, they’re not!”

Problems? Eikichi thought he’d been clear in establishing a no-violence policy inside and out of Kasugayama. He was the Boss, after all.

“Well, I’m not here to pick fights. So buzz off.”

“Riiight,” the girl said but did not move an inch. Eikichi’s annoyance was starting to turn into exasperation. “So what’s this about a band? I didn’t know Tatsuya played any instruments.”

“None of your business,” Eikichi retorted and took his leave, deciding it was wiser to wait for Miyabi at the front entrance. He wasn’t obliged to give any answers to the girl who attacked him out of nowhere.

Little did he know he’d see her again, very soon.

He almost snapped the mic stand in two when he saw her prancing into practice, right by Tatsuya’s side.

“Oh, Lisa,” Miyabi greeted her with a small wave.

“Kozy! Hi!” Lisa greeted her back with a wide smile.

While the two of them chatted, Eikichi exchanged a silent glance with Tatsuya.

“Why the hell did you bring her here?” Eikichi hissed when Tatsuya approached him.

“Said she wanted to see what the band was about,” Tatsuya said with a shrug. “You know her?”

Eikichi sighed. “No, not really. Whatever. Let’s get some riffs going.”

The last thing he needed here was some Tatsuya’s groupie glaring at him. Though, much to his surprise, the girl seemed rather civil in Miyabi’s company.

And from that day forth, Lisa would pop in every two days, although she stopped tagging along with Tatsuya and went with Miyabi.

“What’s that girl’s deal?” he asked Miyabi a few days later.

“Lisa’s? What do you mean?” Miyabi looked at him quizzically. “She’s one of the nicest girls I know. Although I guess I don’t know anyone more enthusiastic about kung fu, either.”

Kung fu, huh? Well, that wasn’t surprising. Miyabi, however, had only the nicest things to say about her, which contrasted pretty sharply with Eikichi’s first impression.

A few days later, though, his opinion did shift towards the better.

“Tatsuya’s not here today,” Eikichi said as he watched Lisa prance in as usual. Today, it was only him and Jun, working on an original song which they would, hopefully, perform at the festival.

“Okay,” she said nonchalantly and took her usual seat. Eikichi sighed. Was she deaf?

“He won’t come by later, either.”

She looked at him with a mix of annoyance and slight hurt. “Sheesh, okay. For the record, I’m here because it’s a nice place to hang out and you guys aren’t half bad. But I guess I’ll excuse myself.”

The look Jun gave him made him feel like a complete jerk, but he didn’t want to give in to her guilt tripping. Jun sighed.

“Stay as long as you’d like, Lisa,” he said instead and smiled warmly at her. “Although we won’t be playing much today. We’re working on a song.”

“Oooh,” Lisa perked up immediately and sauntered to them, leaning over to see the scribbles and notes they were going over. “An original song? That’s pretty cool.”

“Would you like to hear it? Tacchan mentioned you were an aspiring singer yourself.”

Eikichi looked at Jun with a mixture of surprise and pride, while Lisa appeared shocked for a moment. Since when was Tatsuya Tacchan? Most interesting.

Jun didn’t seem to realize what they were so scandalized about as he pulled out his synthesizer.

“Yeah, but I want to be an idol. Rock isn’t really my thing.”

Eikichi smirked. “Well, you haven’t heard Gas Chamber yet.”

Lisa snorted, but nodded enthusiastically. “Well then, let’s hear this new best-selling hit.”

“Jun, hit it.”

The melody of the piano was groovy, jazzy almost, carrying the song along with his singing. Even in this barebone stage of the process, Eikichi could imagine the fast-paced drums in the background and Tatsuya’s guitar riffs adding variety and intrigue.

The text was one he had penned himself, this current version being the fourth, after a few revisions and Miyabi’s feedback. While Lisa may have been joking about the best-selling hit, he was pretty proud of this one. Sometimes, all the elements in a song aligned and he could simply tell it was going to be a success. With this one, he was feeling prouder than ever.

“Aaand that would be it for now,” he said once they were done. “Needs more work with the instrumentation, but the base melody is all there.”

Lisa nodded seriously, thinking for a few moments.

“While the drums and the guitar would add more energy, the melody itself is so groovy it can stand on its own as well. It’s pretty cool.”

“Although, it feels like something else is missing,” Jun pondered aloud.

“What do you mean?” Eikichi asked, confused.

“Maybe it’s just me, but this song feels like a perfect duet.”

“What?” Eikichi didn’t quite see it.

However, Lisa seemed thrilled by Jun’s proposal. “Oh wow, I can totally hear it. The chorus would pack even more impact if two people sung it.”

“Yeah, but…who would sing it? Tatsuya’s voice is way too deep for this one,” Eikichi pointed out, while not pointing out that Jun, while an excellent player, was pretty tone-deaf when it came to singing. And while Tatsuya did have a good voice, it would clash heavily with this kind of groove.

“I agree. But maybe…” Jun looked at Lisa expectantly. Both Eikichi and Lisa gawked at him.

“Whaat?”

“Me? Are you for real?”

“It was just a suggestion,” Jun said with a smile. “But why not try it out?”

Lisa looked around the room hesitantly for a few moments, before sighing.

“You know what? Sure, let’s give it a shot.”

And that was how Gas Chamber’s first collaboration was born.

…

“Oh come on, just a little bit!”

“I am not wearing makeup.”

Eikichi was seriously beginning to doubt Tatsuya’s showman cred. With only three days till the festival, it was high time they polished the finer points of their stage presence, and that included the look of the band members.

“I do wonder how it would look on you, though,” Jun chimed in as he approached them. Something akin to a blush bloomed on Tatsuya’s face. Eikichi glanced at Jun, then back at Tatsuya, and smirked. For a stoic, Tatsuya sure did carry his heart on his sleeve and Eikichi was willing to use it against him, if it meant applying at least some eyeliner on the dude.

“Come on, for science. Unless we put clown makeup on you, it can’t look bad.”

“Knowing you, I wouldn’t be surprised.”

Eikichi decided to let that jab slide. “Whatever. Come on now, sit still.”

Makeup was an extension of his love towards art. After all, with his face all done, he was not plain old Eikichi, but rather Michel, a rising star of rock and roll. A guy people could look up to and adore, not the lame teenager who was scared of talking back to his dad. Plus, it was a fun way to express yourself.

For Tatsuya though, he decided on only applying some eyeliner for starters. Figures if he attempted to do a full face the guy would be overwhelmed. For a guy with a reputation of being a resident troublemaker, Tatsuya sure was a lot more reserved than one would first guess. Though, Eikichi supposed he was the same in a way. Only, he covered his true face behind makeup and not a perpetual scowl (premature wrinkles were so not a rockstar look).

Although it was a bit trickier to do someone else’s eyeliner, he was done in less than thirty seconds. He was an artist, after all.

“Et voila.” He passed the small compact mirror he kept in his pocket to Tatsuya, whistling as the other opened his eyes.

“Doesn’t look that different,” Tatsuya mumbled as he observed himself.

“Well, it does make your eyes pop, for starters,” Eikichi explained. “But if you want to go for something more along the lines of Ziggy Stardust, be my guest.”

“Yeah, no,” Tatsuya snorted and closed the mirror. “It doesn’t look too bad, though. Nicely done.”

“What’re you guys doing?” Miyabi asked as she entered the room with Ginko. “Oh my,” she said when she looked at Tatsuya. “You got Micheled.”

“Only partially,” Tatsuya mumbled.

Eikichi turned to Ginko and Jun, who wore the exact same expression of a deer caught in headlights as they looked at Tatsuya. Oh dear.

“Well then, who’s next?” he asked them, pointing at a bag full of makeup products. Ginko cringed.

“I’m not in the band, so no thanks. I’m more of a natural look fan.”

Miyabi giggled. “You’re too gorgeous as is, Lisa. You’d steal all their fans.”

“Who says that’s not the plan?” Ginko chuckled evilly. Eikichi clicked his tongue.

“In your dreams. In fact, I have deemed you unworthy of the Great Michel makeover.”

“Sucks to be me,” she rebutted sarcastically and turned to Jun. “More importantly, I wonder how would Jun look with makeup on? I mean, your face is pretty much perfect already. And those lashes? Sheesh, it’s kinda unfair.”

“Uh, thanks?” Jun looked a bit unsure how to take her compliment.

“Well, only one way to find out,” Eikichi said and pointed to one of the chairs nearby. “Let’s make you fabulous, Jun.”

Jun looked hesitant for a few moments before sighing and smiling weakly, resigning himself to his fate.

“Alright. Do what you will.”

Now, where Tatsuya had a pretty manly face, Jun’s features were a lot softer and more refined, almost feminine in their gentleness. He was probably the most stereotypical image of a pretty boy Eikichi had ever seen, so maybe Eikichi could play up that aspect.

“Don’t worry,” he reassured him. “You were pretty much made for visual kei.”

Truth be told, there was not much to be done anyway. He simply applied a pale base similar to the one he wore and accentuated his cheekbones a bit. His eyebrows were perfect as is, so he just filled them out a bit.

He pondered for a moment what to do with the eyes.

Of course, it had to be red, he thought as he reached out for the eyeshadow and the eyeliner.

“This is going to be a bit dramatic, but bear with me,” he said as he applied the punchy red eyeshadow over his entire lid.

“Oh, this is going to look pretty cool,” Miyabi commented. “Eikichi, when will you do my makeup?”

“Anytime, doll,” Eikichi chuckled. “Although, you’re already the most beautiful girl in the world.”

Lisa and Tatsuya both rolled their eyes. “Not that you’re wrong,” Lisa said. “But wow.”

Eikichi and Miyabi laughed. Even though they were out of their honeymoon phase, they still had their moments.

Once he was done with the eyeshadow, he stopped to admire his work for a moment. Although, something was missing. Because of the pale base, Jun looked like a ghost.

“Right, lipstick,” Eikichi remembered and reached for a burgundy shade with a slight tint of purple. It wasn’t as dark as his own, but it didn’t need to be so loud because of the eyeshadow.

“You could put it on yourself, but you’d lose the surprise factor.”

Jun nodded. “Told you, do whatever you will.” What a trooper.

And done. As Eikichi put away the brushes and the products away, the others gathered around Jun.

“Oh wow,” Ginko sounded genuinely in awe. “Now this is straight-up illegal.” Miyabi nodded.

“What do you think, Tatsuya?” Jun asked, turning to Tatsuya who’d been suspiciously silent.

“Eikichi was right,” he said, somewhat sheepishly and flashed a tentative thumbs up. “It looks really nice.”

“Why don’t you see for yourself?” Eikichi passed him the compact mirror.

Jun’s gasp when he saw himself was the biggest reward he could get. For a few moments, he just stared at himself with a mixture of awe and disbelief, before smiling and turning to Eikichi.

“You really are an artist, Eikichi. Thank you.”

Eikichi laughed it off, although his heart must have grown three sizes in that moment. “It’s what I do. Don’t sweat it.”

“So, does that mean you guys are ready for the show?” Miyabi asked. “Rumor has it all of Sevens will come. Once word spread Tatsuya and Lisa were in the band, everyone’s been talking about it non-stop.”

“Awesome,” Eikichi grinned. No doubt Miyabi herself had a hand in spreading that rumor. Nobody compared to her when it came to PR, ever since middle school.

Tatsuya, on the other hand, looked like he was mildly nauseous. Jun went over to him and tapped him on the shoulder.

“We’re all in this together, right, Tacchan?”

Tatsuya looked away with a blush and sighed. “Right.”

…

Finally, the promised day had come. As the students were setting up the stage in the gym, Eikichi was running around like a headless chicken. Okay, maybe he was a _little_ anxious. The fact that he’d never actually been on stage didn’t make things any better. But, he wouldn’t be Eikichi Mishina on that stage. He would Michel. And his friends would be right there with him. He took a deep breath and went to help the guys who were setting up the stage. Yeah, he would be alright.

Not to mention, this collaboration between the Boss of Kasugayama and the notorious loner Tatsuya generated quite a bit of buzz among the students. It made the whole affair feel almost diplomatic, given the continuous friction between the two schools. Once he got his shit together, he realized that the spirits were quite high, with everyone eagerly awaiting to hear what Gas Chamber was about.

After the stage had been set up, Eikichi decided to look for…well, anyone. Shogo had just been with him, setting up the stage and his drums, but Ken, Takeshi and Jun were nowhere to be found. Sure, they still had some two hours till the show, but he’d be a pretty lousy band leader if he couldn’t keep an eye out for its members.

Maybe he could try looking at the school roof first. Jun usually spent most of his time there, like the cool stoic loner that he was.

The hallways of the school were teeming with students, who were running around like ants, finishing up their own preparations. As he climbed to the roof, he could understand perfectly why Jun liked it so much. Just standing in this crowd was exhausting.

As he finally got to the roof, he could see Jun in the distance, his back turned to the door. And behind him, a figure in red leather. He realized it was Tatsuya and dove behind the wall to not be noticed. They looked like they were having a pretty serious discussion. And while this would be his cue to get the hell out of there and not be a creep, he couldn’t help himself. Aside from his own curiosity, there was a bet with Miyabi to be won and Jun might have hinted at a crush by accident when they walked from school together yesterday.

He carefully peeked through the glass, only barely enough to see Tatsuya and Jun’s figures now standing next to each other, looking at the playground below.

Jun said something which made Tatsuya smile and take his hand. What happened next, Eikichi could only guess as he escaped the scene, deciding that he’d let them have their privacy. At least, things seemed to have worked out between them, which would certainly help with the general atmosphere in the band. Although, he cringed at the thought of them being as lovey-dovey as him and Miyabi had been. Still, it would be karma for the suffering he put Shogo, Ken and Takeshi through, so he had no right to complain.

As he descended back to the gym, he found Miyabi standing there with Ginko.

“There you are,” Miyabi said once she saw him and smiled brightly, which still got him after a year and a half.

“We were beginning to think you chickened out,” Ginko teased. “Anyway, where’s Tatsuya? I haven’t seen him anywhere.”

“Tatsuya?” Eikichi recalled the scene at the roof and coughed. “No idea. He’d better show up soon, though. We’ve still got to run the final preparations.”

“Oh, you’re all here,” Jun appeared suddenly, with Tatsuya right behind him, looking as cool as a cucumber. Eikichi turned around and whistled as he got a better look of his red motorcycle outfit. He expected Tatsuya would just show up in his school uniform, but he’d certainly underestimated him.

“If we’re going to be rock and roll stars, we better look the part,” was all that Tatsuya had to say. While Eikichi agreed with him, he looked more like a highway star. Good thing the song was in their lineup.

“So, how are you all feeling?” Miyabi asked.

“Ready to rock,” Eikichi and Ginko exclaimed at the same time, then looked at each other, bewildered. This was starting to become some weird custom of theirs the more they hung around. Jun laughed and nodded, while Tatsuya gave a thumbs up. The nervous smile on his face looked almost fond.

“Oh! There you are!”

A chirpy voice exclaimed behind them, as they turned around to be faced with a young black-haired woman with a smile bright enough to light up the entire gym and another woman wearing a beanie and a professional-looking camera.

Before they had the time to be surprised, the smiling woman thrust her hand out in greeting and spoke:

“Maya Amano, journalist for Coolest magazine, pleased to meet you! And this is Yukino, my partner,” she pointed to the woman, who nodded and gave a quieter, almost tired ‘hello’. “You guys are Gas Chamber, right?”

Eikichi nodded, beyond confused. Next to him, though, Ginko and Lisa seemed to be mindblown.

“Coolest?? You’re Maya Amano? _The_ Maya Amano?””

Maya nodded. “That’s right. I write about youth culture in Sumaru, and I’ve heard a rumor that there was going to be an up-and-coming rock band playing right here!”

“Wait,” Eikichi mumbled, slowly realizing what was going on. “You’re here to write about us?”

“Coolest is at the forefront of street culture and new bands are always a good catch. Plus, the unexpected alliance between Seven Sisters and Kasugayama High makes for a pretty interesting story, doesn’t it?” Maya winked.

“No pressure,” Yukino added dryly.

“Wow,” Eikichi mumbled, still quite unable to process what she’d just told them. He knew Miyabi was an avid Coolest reader, although he’d never really taken notice of its contents. Still, an article…that would be some crazy advertisement.

Tatsuya, Ginko and Jun were each on their own level of shell-shocked.

“Rock on, kiddos!” Maya exclaimed and gave them a small wave. “Yukki and I will go find some first-row seats.”

“Did this just happen,” Lisa whispered as they moved away. “Somebody, pinch me.”

“Come on, we’ve no time to be starstruck here,” Eikichi barked, even though he was still pretty surprised himself. “Time to get ready! Let’s go!”

By the time all the makeup was done, the instruments were tuned and microphones prepared, only minutes remained till the big debut.

As he looked at the crowd gathering inside, Eikichi could feel his insides turning.

“Hey, Eikichi.”

He turned around to see Miyabi, looking at him with a look of absolute determination.

“You’ve worked hard for this,” she said and took his hand. He squeezed it weakly, still feeling a bit queasy. “You got this.”

“You think?”

“It’s a bit late for second thoughts, isn’t it?” she smiled and squeezed his hand back. “But you’re not alone. You’ve got friends with you. And I’ll be watching. Now and when you’re a superstar.”

In that moment, Eikichi was overcome with gratitude and an overwhelming desire to kiss her. So he did. As much as he told himself time and time again that this was what he was meant for, he wouldn’t be standing here without the support of others. Only because they believed in him was he able to keep going. God knows where he would have been if he listened to his father.

“You’re right. Thanks.”

Wherever this road took him, he hoped she’d keep watching him (even if he wasn’t quite ready to tell her yet).

She simply nodded and pat him on the back.

“Guys,” Ginko appeared from the gym. “It’s time!”

“Alright,” Eikichi let go of Miyabi’s hand and raised his fist to the sky. “Let’s rock this!”

“You’ve got to work on your catchphrases,” Tatsuya said with a small teasing smile.

As they climbed on stage, all the worry and doubt melted away from his mind. As the audience watched in trepidation, he exchanged glances with everyone and gave a small nod.

“Heeellooo, Kasugayama!” he shouted in English as Tatsuya’s riffs tore through the room. “This! Is! Gas Chamber! Hit it!”

And with that, nothing mattered anymore. It was only him, his friends, Miyabi cheering as loud as she could, and the music.

Whether he made it, and played all around the world, or stayed in Sumaru, in his old man’s sushi restaurant, none of it mattered.

All he knew was that he’d remember this day for as long as he lived.

**Author's Note:**

> Uhhh I hope you liked this! If you did, I'd be super happy if you took the time to leave a kudos or a comment! Idk what else to write here, this fic brought me joy, so I hoped it did so for you too! I love these characters too much ;_; Have a lovely day and cry about persona 2 with me :D


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